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Great city centre hotel for tourists and business people

The Park Inn Hotel is one of Belfast's newest additions which opened officially in January 2009 though the bar and restaurant opened in December 2008. The hotel is located right in the centre of Belfast on Clarence Street West which is just off Bedford Street next to the Deloitte building, opposite the Invest NI building and across from the Ulster Hall.Its location is extremely convenient as it is close to all sorts of cafes, restaurants, bars and nightlife are within walking distance making it a perfect spot for tourists or on business.

It is also very easy to get to with Belfast International Airport being only a 20 minute drive away and the bus from the airport stops at Great Victoria Street Bus Station which is a five minute walk away from the hotel. Belfast City Airport is even closer - a couple of miles outside the city centre to the east along the Sydenham Bypass which is only a short taxi journey away and shouldn't cost too much to get to/from - roughly £5-£6. (Allow for slightly longer journey times out of the city centre between 4.00pm and 6.00pm or into the city centre between 8.00-9.00am.

The hotel has 145 rooms in total which are of a good size and all very bright, clean and fresh which you would expect from a brand new hotel! Prices are reasonable enough and because the hotel is still new and only beginning to get the word out that it has arrived there tends to be some good offers on. These range from two nights bed and breakfast in a standard room with dinner in the RBG restaurant one night and use of the gym from £95 per person. It's probably best to check before you book to see if there are any particular offers on at other times.

Many of Belfast's main tourist attractions are within walking distance. Attractions include Belfast City Hall and Big Wheel (which is located in the grounds of the City Hall), The Grand Opera House on Great Victoria Street and The Crown Bar which is a must for all tourists to call in to for a pint of Guinness and to check out the traditional decor which has been recently restored. All of the City Centre shops are within five minutes walking distance and the Victoria Square Shopping centre which opened in March 2008 which houses lots of designer and high street shops and lots of restaurants including TGI Fridays, Frankie & Bennies, Nandos etc is also only a short distance walk away - about 10 minutes. The Waterfront concert hall is again only about 10 minutes away. It's also very close walking in the opposite direction from the city centre, up the Dublin Road to the Queen's University area where you will find the Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens for nice walks and of course plenty of student bars and restaurants.

The Hotel also has its own bar and restaurant (RBG) which is very nice! The bar is very spacious and stretches quite far back. There is a mixture of seating available with red leather semi circular booths located half the length of the right hand side each of which have their own TV screens on the wall above them. Further back there is a mixture of comfortable armchair type seats and stools along with some higher round bar tables with high bar stools at them. There's also plenty of space to sit at the bar. The bar has a wide selection of drinks and cockatils and the prices are standard for Belfast - £3.00 for a pint or bottle of beer. On my first visit to the bar I thought it would be more expensive being a hotel bar but discovered the prices are much the same as the other bars in Belfast. It is possible to order food all day. The bar has a limited selection of snacks on the menu but the main restaurant has a better selection. The restaurant is located at the back of the room and is split over a couple of levels and a mezzanine. The food is good and the service is beginning to get a lot better. When it first opened there seemed to be a few teething problems with some of the staff forgetting to take an order or clear tables but they seem to have sorted things out a lot better now.

The bar can sometimes look a bit empty - probably because of its size as it takes quite a few people to fill it. As someone who works nearby I was in it quite a lot over the Christmas period trying it out when it first opened. I liked it because there was plenty of room and you could get served quickly which is oftern very difficult in a lot of places in the run up to Christmas. There are toilets located in the centre and also up at the back in the restaurant area which are all very clean, spacious and checked on regularly. There is also a good outside area which is handy for the smokers as they don't have too far to go and the beer garden should be nice in the summer if the weather is good. There isn't any loud music played in the bar at night which does tend to put some people I know off because they think it starts to lack atmosphere. I think this was true at the beginning when not many people were aware of the bar's existence but now that it is starting to become more popular I think the atmosphere is much better and there is music played in the background which helps but isn't too overbearing. It's also a good crowd that go to the bar - there are always doormen at the front door to ensure that no trouble makers will try and get in.

I would definitely recommend the Park Inn hotel for anyone coming to visit Belfast. With its great location you wont be stuck for things to do. Even if you don't end up staying at the hotel I would certainly recommend going for a few drinks or something to eat in its RBG bar.